Method of making a mechanical fastening strip and reticulated mechanical fastening strip therefrom

ABSTRACT

A method of making a mechanical fastening strip and a reticulated mechanical fastening strip are disclosed. The method includes providing a backing having upstanding posts; providing interrupted slits through the backing, the interrupted slits being interrupted by at least one intact bridging region; spreading the slit backing to provide multiple strands separated from each other between at least some of the bridging regions to provide at least one opening; and fixing the multiple strands of the backing in a spread configuration. The reticulated mechanical fastening strip includes multiple strands of a backing attached to each other at bridging regions in the backing and separated from each other between the bridging regions to provide openings. Upstanding posts on each of the multiple strands have bases attached to the backing, and each of the multiple strands has a width that is greater than that of the bases of its attached upstanding posts.

BACKGROUND

Hook and loop fastening systems, where the hook member typicallyincludes a plurality of closely spaced upstanding projections withloop-engaging heads, and the loop member typically includes a pluralityof woven, nonwoven, or knitted loops, are useful for providingreleasable attachment in numerous applications. For example, hook andloop fastening systems are widely used in wearable disposable absorbentarticles to fasten such articles around the body of a person. In typicalconfigurations, a hook strip or patch on a fastening tab attached to therear waist portion of a diaper or incontinence garment, for example, canfasten to a landing zone of loop material on the front waist region, orthe hook strip or patch can fasten to the backsheet (e.g., nonwovenbacksheet) of the diaper or incontinence garment in the front waistregion. Hook and loop fasteners are also useful for disposable articlessuch as sanitary napkins. A sanitary napkin typically includes a backsheet that is intended to be placed adjacent to the wearer'sundergarment. The back sheet may comprise hook fastener elements tosecurely attach the sanitary napkin to the undergarment, whichmechanically engages with the hook fastener elements.

Some hook members have been made with openings in the backing from whichthe hooks project. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,366 (Brumlik) and U.S.Pat. No. 7,407,496 (Peterson) and Int. Pat. Appl. Pub. Nos. WO2005/122818 (Ausen et al.) and WO 1994/02091 (Hamilton).

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a mechanical fastening strip thatcomprises multiple strands of a thermoplastic backing attached to eachother at bridging regions in the thermoplastic backing and separatedfrom each other between at least some of the bridging regions. Thepresent disclosure also provides a fastening laminate and absorbentarticle that comprise the mechanical fastening strip and methods ofmaking the mechanical fastening strip.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of making amechanical fastening strip. The method includes providing athermoplastic backing having multiple rows of upstanding posts; slittingthrough the thermoplastic backing to provide a slit backing havinginterrupted slits between at least some pairs of adjacent rows of theupstanding posts, wherein each interrupted slit is interrupted by atleast one intact bridging region of the slit backing; spreading the slitbacking to provide multiple strands of the thermoplastic backingattached to each other at least at some of the bridging regions andseparated from each other between at least some of the bridging regionsto provide at least one opening; and fixing the multiple strands of thethermoplastic backing in a spread configuration to maintain the at leastone opening between the multiple strands of the thermoplastic backing.

In another aspect, the method of making a mechanical fastening stripincludes providing a thermoplastic backing having upstanding posts;slitting through the thermoplastic backing to provide a slit backinghaving interrupted slits, wherein each interrupted slit is interruptedby at least one intact bridging region of the slit backing; spreadingthe slit backing to provide multiple strands of the thermoplasticbacking attached to each other at least at some of the bridging regionsand separated from each other between at least some of the bridgingregions to provide at least one opening; and annealing the multiplestrands of the thermoplastic backing in a spread configuration tomaintain the at least one opening between the multiple strands of thethermoplastic backing.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a mechanicalfastening strip made according to any one of the aforementioned methods.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a reticulatedmechanical fastening strip comprising:

multiple strands of a thermoplastic backing attached to each other atbridging regions in the thermoplastic backing and separated from eachother between the bridging regions to provide openings in the mechanicalfastening strip, each of the multiple strands having a longitudinaldimension, a width dimension, and a thickness; and

a plurality of upstanding posts on each of the multiple strands, theupstanding posts having bases attached to the thermoplastic backing andcaps distal from the thermoplastic backing, wherein the width dimensionof each of the multiple strands is wider than at least the bases of theupstanding posts.

The mechanical fastening strip, for example, the reticulated mechanicalfastening strip, according to and/or made according to the presentdisclosure has a unique and attractive appearance, which may be furtherenhanced by adding a color (e.g., a pigment) to the thermoplastic or toa carrier to which the mechanical fastening strip is attached.Furthermore, the openings in the mechanical fastening strip can providebreathability and flexibility to the mechanical fastening strip, whichmay enhance the comfort of the wearer, for example, of an absorbentarticle comprising the mechanical fastening strip disclosed herein.

The mechanical fastening strip, for example, the reticulated mechanicalfastening strip, according to and/or made according to the presentdisclosure is able to cover a relatively large area with a relativesmall amount of material, which may lower the cost of the mechanicalfastening strip. The methods disclosed herein allow openings to beprovided in the mechanical fastening strip to achieve the aforementionedadvantages without wasteful material loss. Also, because of the largearea that may be covered by the mechanical fastening strip in anabsorbent article, the mechanical fastening strip may resist shiftingforces such as torsional or rotational forces caused by movement of thewearer of the absorbent article.

In this application, terms such as “a”, “an” and “the” are not intendedto refer to only a singular entity, but include the general class ofwhich a specific example may be used for illustration. The terms “a”,“an”, and “the” are used interchangeably with the term “at least one”.The phrases “at least one of” and “comprises at least one of” followedby a list refers to any one of the items in the list and any combinationof two or more items in the list. All numerical ranges are inclusive oftheir endpoints and non-integral values between the endpoints unlessotherwise stated.

The terms “first” and “second” are used in this disclosure. It will beunderstood that, unless otherwise noted, those terms are used in theirrelative sense only. In particular, in some embodiments certaincomponents may be present in interchangeable and/or identical multiples(e.g., pairs). For these components, the designation of “first” and“second” may be applied to the components merely as a matter ofconvenience in the description of one or more of the embodiments.

The term “row” refers to hook elements lined up in a particulardirection. The row or line of hook elements may be substantiallystraight. When an interrupted slit is cut between adjacent rows of hookelements, it means that the particular slit does not cross over a row ofhook elements.

When it is said that an interrupted slit “extends” in a particulardirection, it is meant that the slit is arranged or aligned in thatdirection or at least predominantly in that direction. The slit may belinear. As used herein a “linear” slit can be defined by two points in aline between two rows of upstanding posts. The slit may also besubstantially linear, which means that the slit can have a slightcurvature or slight oscillation. Some oscillation or curvature mayresult, for example, from the process of slitting a continuous web aswould be understood by a person skilled in the art. Any oscillation orcurvature is such that the slit generally does not have a portion thatcrosses over a row of upstanding posts. The slit may also have a wavy orsawtooth pattern with a small amplitude such that the pattern generallydoes not cross over a row of upstanding posts.

A slit that is cut “through” the backing means that the slit cutsthrough the entire thickness of the backing.

The terms “multiple” and “a plurality” refer to more than one.

The upstanding posts described herein include male fastening elementswith or without loop-engaging heads that have an overhang. The term“loop-engaging” as used herein relates to the ability of a malefastening element to be mechanically attached to a loop material.Generally, male fastening elements with loop-engaging heads have a headshape that is different from the shape of the stem. For example, themale fastening element may be in the shape of a mushroom (e.g., with acircular or oval head enlarged with respect to the stem), a hook, apalm-tree, a nail, a T, or a J. The loop-engageability of male fasteningelements may be determined and defined by using standard woven,nonwoven, or knit materials. A region of male fastening elements withloop-engaging heads generally will provide, in combination with a loopmaterial, at least one of a higher peel strength, higher dynamic shearstrength, or higher dynamic friction than a region of stems withoutloop-engaging heads. Male fastening elements that have “loop-engagingoverhangs” or “loop-engaging heads” do not include ribs that areprecursors to hook elements (e.g., elongate ribs that are profileextruded and subsequently cut to form male fastening elements uponstretching in the direction of the ribs). Such ribs would not be able toengage loops before they are cut and stretched. Typically, malefastening elements that have loop-engaging heads have a maximumthickness dimension of up to about 1 (in some embodiments, 0.9, 0.8,0.7, 0.6, 0.5, or 0.45) millimeter.

The term “machine direction” (MD) as used above and below denotes thedirection of a running, continuous web of the backing during themanufacturing of the mechanical fastening strip. When a mechanicalfastening strip is cut into smaller portions from a continuous web, themachine direction corresponds to the length “L” of the hook strip. Asused herein, the terms machine direction and longitudinal direction aretypically used interchangeably. The term “cross-direction” (CD) as usedabove and below denotes the direction which is essentially perpendicularto the machine direction. When a mechanical fastening strip is cut intosmaller portions from a continuous web, the cross direction correspondsto the width “W” of the hook strip.

For some embodiments, slits (e.g., partial slits) are said to penetratethe thickness of the backing in a certain percent range. The percentpenetration may be calculated as depth of the slit divided by thethickness of the backing, with the quotient multiplied by 100.

The term “nonwoven” when referring to a sheet or web means having astructure of individual fibers or threads which are interlaid, but notin an identifiable manner as in a knitted fabric. Nonwoven fabrics orwebs can be formed from various processes such as meltblowing processes,spunbonding processes, spunlacing processes, and bonded carded webprocesses.

The term “elastic” refers to any material that exhibits recovery fromstretching or deformation. Likewise, the term “nonelastic” refers to anymaterial that does not exhibit recovery from stretching or deformation.

“Elongation” in terms of percent refers to {(the extended length−theinitial length)/the initial length} multiplied by 100.

The term “surface-bonded” when referring to the bonding of fibrousmaterials means that parts of fiber surfaces of at least portions offibers are melt-bonded to the second surface of the backing, in such amanner as to substantially preserve the original (pre-bonded) shape ofthe second surface of the backing, and to substantially preserve atleast some portions of the second surface of the backing in an exposedcondition, in the surface-bonded area. Quantitatively, surface-bondedfibers may be distinguished from embedded fibers in that at least about65% of the surface area of the surface-bonded fiber is visible above thesecond surface of the backing in the bonded portion of the fiber.Inspection from more than one angle may be necessary to visualize theentirety of the surface area of the fiber.

The term “loft-retaining bond” when referring to the bonding of fibrousmaterials means a bonded fibrous material comprises a loft that is atleast 80% of the loft exhibited by the material prior to, or in theabsence of, the bonding process. The loft of a fibrous material as usedherein is the ratio of the total volume occupied by the web (includingfibers as well as interstitial spaces of the material that are notoccupied by fibers) to the volume occupied by the material of the fibersalone. If only a portion of a fibrous web has the second surface of thebacking bonded thereto, the retained loft can be easily ascertained bycomparing the loft of the fibrous web in the bonded area to that of theweb in an unbonded area. It may be convenient in some circumstances tocompare the loft of the bonded web to that of a sample of the same webbefore being bonded, for example, if the entirety of fibrous web has thesecond surface of the backing bonded thereto.

The above summary of the present disclosure is not intended to describeeach disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the presentdisclosure. The description that follows more particularly exemplifiesillustrative embodiments. It is to be understood, therefore, that thedrawings and following description are for illustration purposes onlyand should not be read in a manner that would unduly limit the scope ofthis disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure may be more completely understood in consideration of thefollowing detailed description of various embodiments of the disclosurein connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a top view of an exemplary backing having upstanding postsand interrupted slits through the backing, useful for the methods ofmaking a mechanical fastening strip disclosed herein;

FIG. 1B is a top view of the backing of FIG. 1A after it is spread toprovide openings;

FIG. 1C is a top view of the backing of FIG. 1A after it is spread to agreater extent than in FIG. 1B;

FIG. 1D is a photograph illustrating spreading the mechanical fasteningstrip in FIG. 1A for some embodiments of the methods disclosed herein;

FIG. 2A is a top view of another exemplary backing having upstandingposts and interrupted slits through the backing, useful for the methodsof making a mechanical fastening strip disclosed herein;

FIG. 2B is a partial, expanded cross-sectional side view taken alongline 2BCD-2BCD of FIG. 2A for some embodiments of the methods accordingto the present disclosure;

FIG. 2C is a partial, expanded cross-sectional side view taken alongline 2BCD-2BCD of FIG. 2A for other embodiments of the methods accordingto the present disclosure;

FIG. 2D is a partial, expanded cross-sectional side view taken alongline 2BCD-2BCD of FIG. 2A for still other embodiments of the methodsaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2E is a top view of the slit backing of FIG. 2A after it is spreadto provide openings;

FIG. 3A is a schematic top view of another exemplary backing havingupstanding posts and interrupted slits through the backing, useful forthe methods of making a mechanical fastening strip disclosed herein;

FIG. 3B is a schematic top view of the slit backing of FIG. 3A after itis spread to provide openings;

FIG. 4A is a top view of an exemplary backing having upstanding postsand interrupted slits through the backing, useful for the methods ofmaking a mechanical fastening disclosed herein;

FIG. 4B is a top view of the slit backing of FIG. 4A after it is spreadto provide openings;

FIG. 4C is a top view of the slit backing of FIG. 4A after it is spreadto a greater extent than in FIG. 4B;

FIG. 5A is a top view of an exemplary fastening laminate according tothe present disclosure;

FIG. 5B is a top view of another exemplary fastening laminate accordingto the present disclosure;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of an exemplary absorbent articleincorporating a mechanical fastening strip according to and/or madeaccording to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6B is a top view of another exemplary absorbent articleincorporating a mechanical fastening strip according to and/or madeaccording to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosure,one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Featuresillustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used withother embodiments to yield still a third embodiment. It is intended thatthe present disclosure include these and other modifications andvariations.

FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary slit backing 10 a having upstandingposts 12 and interrupted slits 20 through the backing, useful for themethods of making a mechanical fastening strip according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. Slit backing 10 a, which can be amechanical fastening strip, has a thermoplastic backing 14 with multiplerows 16 of upstanding posts 12 projecting from a first surface of thebacking 14.

The first surface of the backing is the surface that is visible in FIG.1A. The first surface can also be called the first major surface in anyof the embodiments disclosed herein. In the illustrated embodiment, themultiple rows 16 of upstanding posts 12 are aligned in the longitudinaldirection L. Interrupted slits 20 are cut into the backing between somepairs of adjacent rows 16 of upstanding posts 12. It should beunderstood generally that when slits are cut between at least some pairsof adjacent rows 16, there are at least two slits in the backing 14. Theillustrated interrupted slits 20 are linear in the same direction “L” asthe multiple rows 16 and extend from the top edge 18 to the bottom edge28 of the backing 14. The interrupted slits are interrupted by intactbridging regions 22 of the backing 14. The bridging regions 22 areregions where the backing is not cut through, and at least a portion ofthe bridging regions can be considered collinear with interrupted slit20. In the illustrated embodiment, the interrupted slits 20 are evenlyspaced among the rows of upstanding posts 12 although this is not arequirement. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the bridgingregions 22 are staggered in a direction “W” perpendicular to thedirection “L” of the interrupted slits 20. The bridging regions 22 a and22 b are staggered such that bridging region 22 b is locatedsubstantially midway between bridging regions 22 a in the direction “L”.

FIGS. 1B and 1C illustrate the effect of spreading the slit backing 10 ashown in FIG. 1A to different extents and also illustrate a reticulatedmechanical fastening strip 10 b, 10 c according to the presentdisclosure. When the slit backing 10 a is spread in the direction of thearrows shown, multiple strands 26 of the backing are provided, and theseparation between at least some of the multiple strands createsopenings 24. Spreading can be carried out to increase the width W of theslit backing (that is, the dimension in the direction of the spreading)to any extent desired. Increasing the width W of the slit backing atleast 5 percent may be sufficient to provide openings between themultiple strands. In some embodiments, the width W of the slit backingis increased at least 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, or 50 percent.

Spreading may be carried out to provide openings between all of themultiple strands 26, or spreading may be carried out so that not all ofthe multiple strands are spread between the bridging regions 22. InFIGS. 1B and 1C, at least two strands 26 a, including at least two rowsof posts, on each edge of the mechanical fastening strip are notseparated. This may be advantageous in some embodiments, for example, toprovide a reticulated mechanical fastening strip with a straight edge.

In the reticulated mechanical fastening strip illustrated in FIGS. 1Band 1C, the plurality of upstanding posts 12 on a first strand 26 arearranged in a series 16 a that is non-parallel to a series 16 b ofupstanding posts 12 on a second, adjacent strand 26. The series 16 a and16 b of multiple upstanding posts and the multiple strands themselvesfrom which they project can undulate or zig-zag along the length of thereticulated mechanical fastening strip, for example, from the top edge18 to the bottom edge 28. In the illustrated embodiment, the caps on theposts 12 have an oval shape, and these caps are oriented in differentdirections along the multiple strands 26 in the longitudinal directionL. When the caps are circular in shape, it may not be observed that thecaps are oriented in different directions along the multiple strands 26,unless the cap is marked in some way. In the illustrated embodiment, thecaps on a first strand 26 are oriented in a different direction than thecaps on a second, adjacent strand 26.

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary slit backing similar to slit backing 10a shown in FIG. 1A. However, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A, slitportions 20 a have different lengths than slit portions 20 b, whichresults in openings 24 a and 24 b having different sizes after the slitbacking is spread as shown in FIG. 2E. The slit portions of the smallersize 20 a and slit portions of the larger size 20 b each may be alignedwith each other across the backing as shown in FIG. 2A. Or in otherembodiments, slits of different sizes may be arranged randomly in thebacking or slits of the same size may be offset relative to each otherin a regular pattern.

A partial, expanded view of an exemplary cross-section taken through theslit backing of FIG. 2A at line 2B, 2C, 2D-2B, 2C, 2D, which extendsthrough some interrupted slits and some bridging regions, is shown inFIG. 2B. In the illustrated embodiment, the interrupted slits 20 c cutthrough the entire thickness of the thermoplastic backing 14. Theinterrupted slits 20 c are made without removing material from the hookstrip but are shown out of scale FIG. 2B to make them more easilyvisible. In other words, the multiple strands of the backing 14 oneither side of the interrupted slits 20 c are abutting and not spacedapart. The bridging regions 22 of the backing 14 are not slit.

The slit backing shown in FIG. 2A can also be made with partial slits asshown in FIG. 2C. In embodiments of FIG. 2A shown in FIG. 2C, partialslits 20 d are cut into the first face of the backing 14 (i.e., the sameface from which the posts 12 project) between some pairs of adjacentrows 16 of upstanding posts 12. In the illustrated embodiment, thepartial slits 20 d are interrupted by bridging regions 22 of the backing14 that are not slit. The partial depth slits penetrate the thickness ofthe backing to an extent that allows the thermoplastic backing to openduring the spreading shown in FIG. 2E. This penetration may be, forexample, at least 60, 65, 70, 75, or 80 percent of the thickness of thebacking and may be, for example, up to 99, 98, 96, or 95 percent of thethickness of the backing. For example, the penetration may be in a rangefrom 60 to 95, 60 to 90, 65 to 95, 70 to 90, or 65 to 85 percent of thethickness of the backing. Again, in this embodiment, the partial slits20 d are typically made without removing material from the backing 14but are shown out of scale FIG. 2C to make them more easily visible.Also, like in FIG. 2B, the bridging regions 22 of the backing 14 are notslit.

Another exemplary expanded, partial cross-section taken through the slitbacking of FIG. 2A at line 2B, 2C, 2D-2B, 2C, 2D is shown in FIG. 2D. InFIG. 2D, there are partial-depth cuts 22 a in the backing 14 in thebridging regions. The partial-depth cuts 22 a do not extend through thebacking and are collinear with the interrupted slits 20 a. The partialdepth cuts 22 a can penetrate the thickness of the backing to an extentthat typically does not allow the thermoplastic backing to easilyrupture during the spreading shown in FIG. 2E. For example, thepartial-depth cuts 22 a may penetrate into the thickness of the backing14 up to 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 percent or more. In some embodiments,the partial-depth cuts 22 a penetrate the thickness of the backing 14 ina range from 1 to 50, 5 to 40, 10 to 50, 10 to 40, or 25 to 45 percent.The partial-depth cuts 22 a may be useful, for example, for providingadditional bending flexibility to the mechanical fastening strip.

In the reticulated mechanical fastening strip shown in FIG. 2E, openings24 a and 24 b have different sizes. That is, openings 24 a are shorterin the longitudinal direction L than openings 24 b. It is also possibleto make openings that have different widths in a direction Wperpendicular to the interrupted slits by using slits of varyinglengths. Furthermore, referring again to FIG. 2A, the length of thebridging regions 22 of the backing may be made to vary within a strand26 or between strands 26 as desired for a particular application orappearance.

FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary slit backing similar to slit backing 10a shown in FIG. 1A. However, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, slitportions 20 e have different lengths than slit portions 20 f, whichresults in openings 24 c and 24 d having different sizes after the slitbacking is spread as shown in FIG. 3B. In contrast to the embodimentshown in FIGS. 2A-2E, which illustrates interrupted slits with slitportions of different lengths in the longitudinal direction L, and thecorresponding resulting openings, FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate patterns ofslit portions of different lengths in the width direction W. Themultiple strands 26 c and 26 d have a different appearance from eachother in the same reticulated mechanical fastening strip, for example,multiple strands 26 c and 26 d zig-zag or undulate with a differentwavelength and amplitude.

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate another exemplary method for making a mechanicalfastening strip and a resulting reticulated mechanical fastening stripaccording to the present disclosure. In FIG. 4A, slit backing 100 a hasa thermoplastic backing 114 with multiple rows 116 of upstanding posts112 projecting from a first surface of the backing 114. The firstsurface of the backing is the surface that is visible in FIG. 3A. In theillustrated embodiment, the multiple rows 116 of upstanding posts 112are aligned in the longitudinal direction L. Interrupted slits 120 a,120 b, and 120 c are cut into the backing between some pairs of adjacentrows 116 of upstanding posts 112. In the illustrated embodiment, a groupof three interrupted slits “A” are positioned together to provideconnection regions 123, 125, and 127 when the slit web is spread. Eachgroup “A” of three interrupted slits includes a center interrupted slit120 b, which extends through the top and bottom edges 118 a and 118 b ofthe backing 114. On either side of the center interrupted slit 120 b areinterrupted slits that do not extend through the top or bottom edges 118a and 118 b of the backing but include a long slit portion 120 a and ashorter slit portion 120 c. The slit portions of center interrupted slit120 b are relatively shorter than the long slit portion 120 a. At leastsome of the bridging regions 122 a of the center interrupted slit 120 bare provided with a transverse slit 128, which is transverse to thedirection of interrupted slit 120 b. In the illustrated embodiment,transverse slit 128 connects long slit portions 120 a on either side ofthe center interrupted slit 120 b. Similarly, transverse slit 128 aconnects the ends of shorter slit portions 120 c on either side ofcenter slit 120 b. The result of the arrangement of interrupted slit 120b and slit portions 120 a and 120 c and transverse slits 128 and 128 ais the formation of three connection members 123, 125, and 127surrounding center interrupted slit 120 b that allow the slit backing100 a to be spread as shown in FIG. 4B.

FIGS. 4B and 4C illustrate the effect of spreading the slit backing 100a shown in FIG. 4A to different extents and also illustrate areticulated mechanical fastening strip 100 b, 100 c according to thepresent disclosure. When the slit backing 100 a is spread in thedirection of the arrows shown, multiple strands 126 of the backing areprovided, and the separation between at least some of the multiplestrands creates openings 124. Furthermore, in the illustratedembodiment, the strands formed from connection members 123, 125, and 127include portions of two different rows 116 of upstanding posts in theslit backing 100 a.

Although the methods of making mechanical fastening strip illustrated inFIGS. 1A-1C, 2A-2E, 3A-3C, and 4A-4C each show interrupted slitsextending parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mechanicalfastening strip, interrupted slits may be made in any desired direction.For example, interrupted slits may be made at an angle from 1 to 90degrees to the longitudinal direction of the mechanical fastening strip.When the methods disclosed herein are practiced on a continuousthermoplastic web, interrupted slits may be made in the machinedirection, the cross-direction, or any desired angle in between themachine direction and the cross-direction. In some embodiments,interrupted slits in the backing may be made at an angle in a range from35 to 55 degrees (e.g., 45 degrees) to the longitudinal direction of themechanical fastening strip.

For the embodiments of reticulated mechanical fastening strips ormethods of making them illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C, 2A-2E, 3A-3C, and4A-4C, the bridging regions 22 and 122 are staggered in a direction “W”perpendicular to the direction “L” of the interrupted slits 20 a-e and120 a-c. For example, referring again to FIG. 1A, the bridging regions22 a and 22 b are substantially evenly spaced apart in the direction “L”but are staggered in the direction “W”, perpendicular to the direction“L”. When the bridging regions are staggered in this manner, the numberof bridging regions necessary to make the slit backing handle as anintegral unit can be minimized. In other embodiments, the bridgingregions 22 and 122 are aligned in a direction “W” perpendicular to thedirection of the interrupted slits 20 a-e and 120 a-c.

The particular arrangement of the bridging regions, whether aligned orstaggered in a direction perpendicular to the interrupted slits 20 a-eand 120 a-c, can be designed, for example, based on the desired lengthof the slits and the amount of spreading desired for the multiplestrands 26, 126. Various lengths of bridging regions 22 and 122 may beuseful. In some embodiments, any bridging regions 22 and 122 in a giveninterrupted slit 20 a-g and 120 a-c have a combined length in thedirection of the interrupted slit of up to 50 (in some embodiments, 40,30, 25, 20, 15, or 10) percent of the length of the backing in the firstdirection. In some embodiments, for maximizing the ability of the slitbacking 10 a and 100 a to spread, it may be desirable to minimize thecombined length of the bridging regions in the direction of theinterrupted slit. Minimizing the combined length of the bridging regions22 and 122 in the direction of the interrupted slit may be accomplishedby at least one of minimizing the length of any particular bridgingregion 22 and 122 or maximizing the distance between bridging regions 22and 122. In some embodiments, the length of one bridging region in thedirection of the interrupted slit is up to 3, 2, or 1.5 mm and at least0.25, 0.5, or 0.75 mm. In some embodiments, the number of bridgingregions along the length of the mechanical fastening strip 10 a-c and100 a-c in the direction of the interrupted slit is up to 1.5, 1.25,1.0, 0.75, 0.60, or 0.5 per cm. The distance between bridging regions 22and 122 in the direction of the interrupted slit may be, for example, atleast 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, or 1.75 cm. Furthermore, the length of theinterrupted slit portions between bridging regions can be adjusted andmay be selected to maximize the distance between bridging regions. Insome embodiments, the length of the interrupted slit portion betweenbridging regions is at least 8 (in some embodiments, at least 10, 12,14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20) mm. Typically, the interrupted slits ofthe slit backings disclosed herein have longer slit regions and shorterbridging regions than perforations that are designed to allow easyseparation of two parts of a film. For the embodiments of reticulatedmechanical fastening strips or methods of making them illustrated inFIGS. 1A-1C, 2A-2E, 3A-3C, and 4A-C, the upstanding posts 12 and 112 inthe slit backings 10 a and 100 a are shown in rows 16 and 116 aligned inthe direction of the interrupted slits. However, in some embodiments,the upstanding posts 12 and 112 may be positioned in other arrangementsor arranged randomly on the backing 14 and 114. Multiple rows 16 and 116of upstanding posts 12 and 112 may be evenly spaced or unevenly spacedas desired. For multiple rows 16 and 116 that are evenly spaced, thespacing (e.g., distance in the direction “W”) between multiple rows 16and 116 may differ by up to 10, 5, 2.5, or 1 percent.

For any of the embodiments of reticulated mechanical fastening stripsand methods of making a mechanical fastening strip disclosed herein, thenumber of interrupted slits and resulting openings may be adjusteddepending on the requirements of the application. In some embodiments,there are up to 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 interrupted slits per10 mm across the width of the backing (i.e., in a direction “W”substantially perpendicular to the first direction or machinedirection). In embodiments where the upstanding posts are arranged inrows, changing the number of interrupted slits across the backing isrelated to the number of rows of upstanding posts between any twoadjacent interrupted slits, depending on the density of the upstandingposts on the backing. In some embodiments, the density of upstandingposts 12 on the backing 14 is in a range from 20 per cm² to 1000 per cm²(in some embodiments, in a range from 20 per cm² to 500 per cm², 50 percm² to 500 per cm², 60 per cm² to 400 per cm², 75 per cm² to 350 percm², or 100 per cm² to 300 per cm²). The number of rows of upstandingpost between any two adjacent interrupted slits may be adjusteddepending on the requirements of the application. In some embodiments,there are up to 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 rows of upstandingposts between any two adjacent interrupted slits. In some embodiments,there is an interrupted slit between every other row of upstandingposts.

Various shapes of hook elements may be useful for practicing the presentdisclosure. In some embodiments, all of the upstanding posts haveloop-engaging overhangs (e.g., at the cap). In some of theseembodiments, at least a portion of each loop-engaging overhang extendsat a nonzero angle to the direction of the interrupted slits (in someembodiments, the machine direction). The nonzero angle may be in a rangefrom 30 to 90 degrees, 50 to 90 degrees, 60 to 90 degrees, 75 to 90degrees, 80 to 90 degrees, or 85 to 90 degrees. Similarly, in someembodiments of an absorbent article disclosed herein, at least a portionof each of the loop-engaging overhangs may be directed toward thelongitudinal center line of the absorbent article when the absorbentarticle is fastened around the body.

In other embodiments, loop-engaging overhangs (e.g., at the cap) on theupstanding posts of the slit backing extend parallel to the direction ofthe interrupted slits (in some embodiments, the machine direction). Forexample, the upstanding posts may have the shape of a J (e.g., as shownin U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,797 (Provost et al.). In some these embodiments,the loop-engaging overhangs extend only in the direction of theinterrupted slits (e.g., in some embodiments, the machine direction). Insuch embodiments, spreading the slit backing typically results in theloop-engaging overhangs oriented in different directions along themultiple strands in the longitudinal direction L as shown in FIGS. 1B,1C, 2E, 4B, 4C, 5A, and 5B. When loop-engaging overhangs are oriented inmultiple directions (e.g., not only one direction such as the machinedirection), enhanced engagement of a loop material may advantageouslyresult.

In some embodiments, each upstanding post has a cap with loop engagingoverhangs extending in multiple (i.e., at least two) directions. Forexample, the upstanding post may be in the shape of a mushroom, a nail,a palm tree, or a T. In some embodiments, the upstanding posts areprovided with a mushroom head (e.g., with an oval or round cap distalfrom the thermoplastic backing).

For any of the embodiments of reticulated mechanical fastening stripsand methods of making them disclosed herein, the reticulated mechanicalfastening strip may be in the form of a roll, from which reticulatedmechanical fastening patches are cut in a size appropriate to thedesired application. In this application, the reticulated mechanicalfastening strip may also be a patch that has been cut to a desired size.Furthermore, in some embodiments, including any of the embodimentsdescribed above in connection with FIGS. 1A-C, 2A-E, 3A-C, and 4A-C,backing 14 has a top edge 18 and a bottom edge 28 and the interruptedslits 20 a-g or 120 a-c extend from the top edge 18 to the bottom edge28 of the backing. In other embodiments, slits can be made cross-web,from side edge to side edge.

The bridging regions 22 interrupting the interrupted slits 20 a allowthe hook strip to be handled as an integral unit, for example, to behandled in roll form and converted as desired. Accordingly, in someembodiments, the multiple strands 26 and 126 are not joined to acarrier, at least when the reticulated mechanical fastening strip isinitially formed. When the multiple strands are not joined to a carrier,it may mean that the strands are not laminated (e.g., extrusionlaminated), adhered, bonded (e.g., ultrasonic bonded or compressionbonded) or otherwise attached to a carrier (e.g., a substrate, fasteningtab, fastening tape, etc.). Since, in some embodiments, the reticulatedmechanical fastening strip according to the present disclosure may bemade without being joined to a carrier, there is great flexibility inhow the hook strip may be converted and subsequently attached to anarticle to be fastened.

On the other hand, the reticulated mechanical fastening strip accordingto the present disclosure may be useful in a fastening laminate. Thefastening laminate may be a fastening tab comprising the reticulatedmechanical fastening strip disclosed herein in any of the aforementionedembodiments, or the fastening laminate may comprise a reticulatedmechanical fastening strip joined to the backsheet of an absorbentarticle. In some embodiments, the fastening laminate is useful forjoining the front waist region and the rear waist region of an absorbentarticle. The fastening laminate may comprise a carrier and a reticulatedmechanical fastening strip disclosed herein, wherein the second face ofthe reticulated mechanical fastening strip (i.e., the face opposite theupstanding posts) is joined to the carrier.

In some embodiments, fixing the multiple strands of the thermoplasticbacking in a spread configuration to maintain the at least one openingbetween the multiple strands of the thermoplastic backing comprisesjoining the multiple strands to a carrier. The multiple strands orreticulated mechanical fastening strip may be joined to a carrier, forexample, by lamination (e.g., extrusion lamination), adhesives (e.g.,pressure sensitive adhesives), or other bonding methods (e.g.,ultrasonic bonding, compression bonding, or surface bonding).

The carrier may be continuous (i.e., without any through-penetratingholes) or discontinuous (e.g. comprising through-penetratingperforations or pores). The carrier may comprise a variety of suitablematerials including woven webs, non-woven webs (e.g., spunbond webs,spunlaced webs, airlaid webs, meltblown web, and bonded carded webs),textiles, plastic films (e.g., single- or multilayered films, coextrudedfilms, laterally laminated films, or films comprising foam layers), andcombinations thereof. In some embodiments, the carrier is a fibrousmaterial (e.g., a woven, nonwoven, or knit material). In someembodiments, the carrier comprises multiple layers of nonwoven materialswith, for example, at least one layer of a meltblown nonwoven and atleast one layer of a spunbonded nonwoven, or any other suitablecombination of nonwoven materials. For example, the carrier may be aspunbond-meltbond-spunbond, spunbond-spunbond, orspunbond-spunbond-spunbond multilayer material. Or, the carrier may be acomposite web comprising a nonwoven layer and a dense film layer.

Fibrous materials that provide useful carriers may be made of naturalfibers (e.g., wood or cotton fibers), synthetic fibers (e.g.,thermoplastic fibers), or a combination of natural and synthetic fibers.Exemplary materials for forming thermoplastic fibers include polyolefins(e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, ethylene copolymers,propylene copolymers, butylene copolymers, and copolymers and blends ofthese polymers), polyesters, and polyamides. The fibers may also bemulti-component fibers, for example, having a core of one thermoplasticmaterial and a sheath of another thermoplastic material.

Useful carriers may have any suitable basis weight or thickness that isdesired for a particular application. For a fibrous carrier, the basisweight may range, e.g., from at least about 20, 30, or 40 grams persquare meter, up to about 400, 200, or 100 grams per square meter. Thecarrier may be up to about 5 mm, about 2 mm, or about 1 mm in thicknessand/or at least about 0.1, about 0.2, or about 0.5 mm in thickness.

One or more zones of the carrier may comprise one or more elasticallyextensible materials extending in at least one direction when a force isapplied and returning to approximately their original dimension afterthe force is removed. However, in some embodiments, at least the portionof the carrier joined to the second face of the backing is notstretchable. In some embodiments, the portion of carrier joined to thesecond face of the backing will have up to a 10 (in some embodiments, upto 9, 8, 7, 6, or 5) percent elongation in the cross direction in thedirection perpendicular to the slits (i.e., the width direction (W).

In some embodiments, the carrier may be extensible but nonelastic. Inother words, the carrier may have an elongation of at least 5, 10, 15,20, 25, 30, 40, or 50 percent but substantially no recovery from theelongation (e.g., up to 10 or 5 percent recovery). In embodiments of themethods disclosed herein, wherein the carrier is extensible butnonelastic, spreading the slit backing to provide multiple strands ofthe thermoplastic backing may be carried out after the thermoplasticbacking is joined to the extensible carrier (e.g., at the second surfaceof the thermoplastic backing opposite the surface having the upstandingposts). In these embodiments, fixing the multiple strands of thethermoplastic backing in a spread configuration to maintain the at leastone opening between the multiple strands of the thermoplastic backingmay be carried out simultaneously with spreading the slit backing, andfixing the multiple strands may be accomplished by the carriermaintaining its elongation. The multiple strands on the extensiblecarrier may further be annealed as described in more detail below.Suitable extensible carriers may include nonwovens (e.g., spunbond,spunbond meltblown spunbond, or carded nonwovens). In some embodiments,the nonwoven may be a high elongation carded nonwoven (e.g., HEC).

An embodiment of a fastening laminate 40 according to the presentdisclosure is illustrated in FIG. 5A. Fastening laminate 40 comprisescarrier 45 and reticulated mechanical fastening strip 10 c, as shown anddescribed in FIG. 1C above. The reticulated mechanical fastening stripincludes multiple strands 26 and openings 24 between the strands.Optionally, the fastening laminate 40 can include adhesive 47 between atleast a portion of the reticulated mechanical fastening strip and atleast a portion of the carrier. In some of these embodiments, there canbe exposed adhesive between the multiple strands 26 of the reticulatedmechanical fastening strip 10 c, which may be advantageous, for example,for allowing the fastening laminate 40 to attach to a surface through acombination of adhesive bonding and mechanical fastening

Another fastening laminate 40 according to the present disclosure,comprising carrier 45 and reticulated mechanical fastening strip 10 c,is illustrated in FIG. 5B. Fastening laminate 40 may be a fastening tab(e.g., on an absorbent article) with first edge 41 that may be at themanufacturer's end of the fastening tab (i.e., the end that ispermanently fixed to the absorbent article, usually in the waist region)and an opposing second edge 43 that may be at the user's end of thefastening tab (i.e., the end that is grasped by the user). In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 5B, the carrier 45 is shaped such thatthe second edge 43 is narrower in the longitudinal direction “L” thanthe first edge 41. The shape of reticulated mechanical fastening strip50 corresponds to the shape of the carrier 45 with a second edge 53narrower in the longitudinal direction “L” than a first edge 51. Againsecond edge 53 of reticulated mechanical fastening strip 50 may be atthe user's end of the fastening tab, and first edge 51 may be at the endof the tab permanently attached to the article. In the illustratedembodiment, the width of the multiple strands 26 in reticulatedmechanical fastening strip 50 varies, and, therefore, the spacingbetween openings 24 varies. In some of these embodiments, the number ofrows 56 of upstanding posts 12 between openings 24 varies. In fasteninglaminate 40 shown in FIG. 5B, the strands 26 are thinner toward secondedge 53 and larger toward first edge 51. The reticulated mechanicalfastening strip in the illustrated embodiment can be made from a slitbacking, for example, where there is one row 56 of upstanding posts 52between adjacent interrupted slits (not shown in FIG. 5B) near thesecond edge 53 of the slit backing, and the number of rows 56 ofupstanding posts 52 increases between adjacent interrupted slits towardthe first edge 51 of the slit backing.

The fastening laminates disclosed herein are useful, for example, inabsorbent articles. In some embodiments, absorbent articles according tothe present disclosure have at least a front waist region, a rear waistregion, and a longitudinal center line bisecting the front waist regionand the rear waist region, wherein at least one of the front waistregion or the rear waist region comprises the fastening laminatedisclosed herein. The fastening laminate may be in the form of afastening tab that is bonded to at least one of the front waist regionor the rear waist region extending outwardly from at least one of theleft longitudinal edge or the right longitudinal edge of the absorbentarticle. In other embodiments, the fastening laminate may be an integralear portion of the absorbent article. In these embodiments, thedirection of the slits that provide openings (in some embodiments, themachine direction) of the reticulated mechanical fastening strip isgenerally aligned with the longitudinal center line of the absorbentarticle.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of anabsorbent article according to the present disclosure. The absorbentarticle is a diaper 60 having an essentially hourglass shape. The diapercomprises an absorbent core 63 between a liquid permeable top sheet 61that contacts the wearer's skin and an outwardly facing liquidimpermeable back sheet 62. Diaper 60 has a rear waist region 65 havingtwo fastening tabs 40 arranged at the two longitudinal edges 64 a, 64 bof diaper 60. The diaper 60 may comprise an elastic material 69 along atleast a portion of longitudinal side edges 64 a and 64 b to provide legcuffs. The longitudinal direction “L” of the absorbent article (e.g.,diaper 60) refers to the direction that the article extends from thefront to rear of the user. Therefore, the longitudinal direction refersto the length of the absorbent article between the rear waist region 65and the front waist region 66. The lateral direction of the absorbentarticle (e.g., diaper 60) refers to the direction that the articleextends from the left side to the right side (or vice versa) of the user(i.e., from longitudinal edge 64 a to longitudinal edge 64 b in theembodiment of FIG. 6).

Fastening tab 40 usually extends beyond longitudinal edges 64 a, 64 b ofthe diaper 60. The manufacturer's end 40 a corresponds to the part offastening tab 40 which is fixed or secured to the diaper 60 during themanufacture of the diaper 60. The user's end is typically gripped by theuser when attaching the diaper 60 to the wearer and is typically notfixed to the diaper during manufacturing.

In FIG. 6, fastening tabs 40 are secured through their manufacturer'send 40 a to the rear waist region 65. The user's end 40 b of thefastening tab 40 comprises a reticulated mechanical fastening stripaccording to the present disclosure. The configuration of reticulatedmechanical fastening strip 10 c is shown and described above in FIG. 1C.However, the reticulated mechanical fastening strip may also be similarto that shown in any of FIGS. 1B, 2E, 3B, and 4B-4C. In someembodiments, when attaching the diaper 60 to a wearer's body, the user'sends 40 b of fastening tabs 40 can be attached to a target area 68comprising fibrous material 72 which may be arranged on the back sheet62 of the front waist region 66. Examples of loop tapes which may beapplied to the target area 68 to provide an exposed fibrous material 72are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,416 (Mody et al.) EP0,341,993 (Gorman et al.) and EP 0,539,504 (Becker et al.).

In other embodiments, the back sheet 62 comprises a woven or nonwovenfibrous layer which is capable of interacting with the user's ends 40 bof fastening tabs 40 comprising a reticulated mechanical fastening stripdisclosed herein. Examples of such back sheets 62 are disclosed, forexample, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,758 (Stopper) and U.S. Pat. No.6,075,179 (McCormack et al.).

Adhesive 47 can be used to join the reticulated mechanical fasteningstrip to the carrier 45 and can be used to join the carrier 45 to therear waist region 65 of the diaper. Exposed adhesive 47 may be presentbetween the multiple strands 26 of reticulated mechanical fasteningstrip 10 c. Fastening tab 40 furthermore optionally comprises releasetape (not shown) to contact the exposed part of adhesive 47 when thereticulated mechanical fastening strip 10 c is folded onto diaper rearwaist region 65 (e.g., during packaging and shipping of diaper 60). Therelease tape may also be joined to the diaper rear waist region 65 usingadhesive. Many configurations of release tape are possible depending onthe configuration of the attachment of the fastening tab 40 to diaper60. The carrier 45 at the user's end of the fastening tab 40 may exceedthe extension of the reticulated mechanical fastening strip 10 c and theadhesive 47 thereby providing a fingerlift.

During manufacturing or when the diaper 60 is stored prior to use, theuser's end of fastening tab 40 is usually folded over onto the top sheet61 as is shown, for example, for one of the two fastening tabs 40 on thediaper 60 of FIG. 6. It is important during the manufacturing of thediaper 60 that the user's end does not pop open but is releasablysecured to the top sheet 61 of the diaper 60. This so-called“anti-flagging feature” of the fastening tab 40 can be provided by theexposed adhesive 47. Furthermore, when the diaper 60 has been used orsoiled, it is typically rolled up and discarded, and it is convenient tosecure the diaper 60 in the rolled-up state. This so-called “disposalfeature” can also provided by the exposed adhesive 47.

Although the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 is an absorbent articlewith attached fastening tabs, it is envisioned that the hook stripdisclosed herein would be equally useful in absorbent articles withlarger areas of hooks. For example, the ears of the absorbent articlethemselves comprise hooks, or the absorbent article can have two targetzones of loop material along the longitudinal edges of the back sheet inone waist region and two hook strips extending along the longitudinaledges of the absorbent article in the opposite waist region.

In use, fitting an absorbent article such as a diaper about the wearerusually requires the front and back waist portions of the diaper tooverlap each other. As the diaper is worn the movements of the wearertend to cause the overlapping front and back waist portions to shiftposition relative to each other. In other words, overlapping front andback waist portions are subjected to forces which tend to cause thefront and back waist portions to assume a position relative to eachother which is different from the position they assume when the diaperis initially fitted to the wearer. Such shifting can be made worse bythe forces induced by the elastic at the leg openings. Unless suchshifting is limited, the fit and containment characteristics of thediaper are degraded as the diaper is worn. The reticulated mechanicalfastening strip according to and/or made according to the presentdisclosure may provide improved fit and closure stability by resistingsuch shifting. The resistance to shifting may be enhanced becauserelatively larger area and flexibility of the reticulated mechanicalfastening strip disclosed herein.

The fastening laminate may also be useful, for example, for disposablearticles such as sanitary napkins. A schematic representation of asanitary napkin 70 is shown in FIG. 6B. A sanitary napkin typicallyincludes a back sheet 75 that is intended to be placed adjacent to thewearer's undergarment. Reticulated mechanical fastening strip 10 c canbe attached to the back sheet 75 to fasten the sanitary napkin 70 to anundergarment. The configuration of reticulated mechanical fasteningstrip 10 c is shown and described above in FIG. 1C. However, thereticulated mechanical fastening strip may also be similar to that shownin any of FIGS. 1B, 2E, 3B, and 4B-4C. Adhesive 47 can be used to jointhe reticulated mechanical fastening strip to the back sheet 75. Exposedadhesive 47 may be present between the multiple strands 26 ofreticulated mechanical fastening strip 10 c to provide a combination ofmechanical and adhesive fastening.

The mechanical fastening strips according to and/or made according tothe present disclosure may also be useful in many other fasteningapplications, for example, assembly of automotive parts or any otherapplication in which releasable attachment may be desirable.

The mechanical fastening strips (e.g., slit backings or reticulatedmechanical fastening strips) according to and/or useful for practicingthe present disclosure are typically made of a thermoplastic material.Suitable thermoplastic materials mechanical fastening strips includepolyolefin homopolymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene,copolymers of ethylene, propylene and/or butylene; copolymers containingethylene such as ethylene vinyl acetate and ethylene acrylic acid;polyesters such as poly(ethylene terephthalate), polyethylene butyrateand polyethylene napthalate; polyamides such as poly(hexamethyleneadipamide); polyurethanes; polycarbonates; poly(vinyl alcohol); ketonessuch as polyetheretherketone; polyphenylene sulfide; and mixturesthereof. Typically, the thermoplastic is a polyolefin (e.g.,polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, ethylene copolymers,propylene copolymers, butylene copolymers, and copolymers and blends ofthese materials).

In the reticulated mechanical fastening strips disclosed herein andtheir slit backing precursors, the backing and the upstanding posts aretypically integral (that is, formed at the same time as a unit,unitary). Upstanding posts on a backing can be made, for example, byfeeding a thermoplastic material onto a continuously moving mold surfacewith cavities having the inverse shape of the posts. The thermoplasticmaterial can be passed between a nip formed by two rolls or a nipbetween a die face and roll surface, with at least one of the rollshaving the cavities. The cavities may be in the inverse shape of acapped post having a loop-engaging head or may be in the inverse shapeof a post without loop-engaging heads (e.g., a precursor to a fasteningelement). In the methods disclosed herein, the term “posts” is meant toinclude posts with or without loop-engaging heads, depending on theembodiment. Pressure provided by the nip forces the resin into thecavities. In some embodiments, a vacuum can be used to evacuate thecavities for easier filling of the cavities. The nip is typicallysufficiently wide such that a coherent backing is formed over thecavities. The mold surface and cavities can optionally be air or watercooled before stripping the integrally formed backing and upstandinghook elements from the mold surface such as by a stripper roll. If theposts formed upon exiting the cavities do not have loop-engaging heads,loop-engaging heads could be subsequently formed into hooks by a cappingmethod as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,870 (Melbye et al.), thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Typically, the capping method includes deforming the tip portions of thehook elements using heat and/or pressure. The heat and pressure, if bothare used, could be applied sequentially or simultaneously.

Other suitable tool rolls include those formed from a series of platesdefining a plurality of post-forming cavities about its periphery suchas those described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,310 (Fischer).Cavities may be formed in the plates by drilling or photoresisttechnology, for example. Still other suitable tool rolls may includewire-wrapped rolls, which are disclosed along with their method ofmanufacturing, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,594 (Gorman et al.).Another exemplary method for forming a thermoplastic backing withupstanding posts includes using a flexible mold belt defining an arrayof upstanding post-shaped cavities as described in U.S. Pat. No.7,214,334 (Jens et al.). Yet other useful methods for forming athermoplastic backing with upstanding posts can be found in U.S. Pat.No. 6,287,665 (Hammer), U.S. Pat. No. 7,198,743 (Tuma), and U.S. Pat.No. 6,627,133 (Tuma).

Another useful method for forming upstanding posts (e.g., withloop-engaging heads) on a backing is profile extrusion described, forexample, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,894,060 (Nestegard), which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. Typically, in this method athermoplastic flow stream is passed through a patterned die lip (e.g.,cut by electron discharge machining) to form a web having downwebridges, slicing the ridges, and stretching the web to form separatedprojections. The ridges may form hook precursors and exhibit thecross-sectional shape of upstanding posts (e.g., with loop-engagingheads) to be formed. The ridges are transversely sliced at spacedlocations along the extension of the ridges to form discrete portions ofthe ridges having lengths in the direction of the ridges essentiallycorresponding to the length of the upstanding posts to be formed. Thethermoplastic backing that results from this method has stretch-inducedmolecular orientation.

In some embodiments, the thermoplastic backing has stretch-inducedmolecular orientation, for example, when the thermoplastic backing withupstanding posts is prepared by profile extrusion or in other caseswhere the thermoplastic backing is stretched after formation of theupstanding posts. In other embodiments, the thermoplastic backing is notprovided with macroscopic stretch-induced molecular orientation in thedirection of the interrupted slits or in the direction of spreading. Inthese embodiments, there may be some stress-induced orientationlocalized in the bridging regions.

Some mechanical fastening strips which may be useful precursors for thereticulated mechanical fastening strip according to and/or madeaccording to the present disclosure are commercially available, e.g.,from 3M Company, St. Paul, under the trade designations “CS-600” or“CS-1010”.

For the reticulated mechanical fastening strip according to the presentdisclosure in any of its various embodiments or its slit backingprecursor, the thickness of the strand or backing may be up to about400, 250, 150, 100, 75 or 50 micrometers, depending on the desiredapplication. In some embodiments, the thickness of the backing is in arange from 30 to about 225 micrometers, from about 50 to about 200micrometers, or from about 100 to about 150 micrometers. In someembodiments, the upstanding posts have a maximum height (above thebacking) of up to 3 mm, 1.5 mm, 1 mm, or 0.5 mm and, in some embodimentsa minimum height of at least 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, or 0.2 mm. In someembodiments, the upstanding posts have aspect ratio (that is, a ratio ofheight to width at the widest point) of at least about 2:1, 3:1, or 4:1.

For any of the embodiments of the methods according to the presentdisclosure, interrupted slits in the backing can be formed, for example,using rotary die cutting of a continuous web having a backing andupstanding posts formed by any of the methods described above.Interrupted slits can be made, for example, by using rotary cuttingblades having gaps to form the bridging regions. The height of the bladein the gaps may be adjusted to allow for the bridging regions to bepartially cut or not cut at all, depending on the desired embodiment.Other cutting methods (e.g., laser cutting) may also be used. Cuttingcan be performed from either surface of the continuous web,corresponding to the first surface or second surface of the backing. Forbridging regions that have partial-depth cuts, the cuts are typicallymade in the first surface of the backing, which is the same surface fromwhich the upstanding post project. When the hook elements are formedusing the method described above, where a thermoplastic material is fedonto a continuously moving mold surface with cavities having the inverseshape of the upstanding posts, slitting the web and optionally spreadingthe slit web can be carried out before or after a capping step iscarried out to form loop-engaging heads. In some embodiments of themethods disclosed herein, before the thermoplastic backing is slitthrough and spread, the thermoplastic backing is provided withupstanding posts each have a base attached to the thermoplastic backingand a cap distal from the thermoplastic backing, wherein the cap has alarger area than a cross-sectional area of the base. In otherembodiments of the methods disclosed herein, the upstanding posts eachhave a base attached to the thermoplastic backing and a tip distal fromthe thermoplastic backing, the method further comprising deforming thedistal tip to form a cap. In these embodiments, deforming the distal tipto form a cap can be carried out, for example, after slitting throughthe backing but before spreading the slit backing; after spreading theslit backing but before fixing the multiple strands of the thermoplasticbacking in a spread configuration (in some embodiments, annealing); orafter fixing the multiple strands of the thermoplastic backing in aspread configuration as desired.

It should be understood that cutting methods disclosed herein on acontinuous web may result in some instances with slits that cross overor cut through a row of upstanding posts. Although the rotary die, forexample, may be positioned to form a slit between rows of upstandingposts, the variability in the web process may cause the slit to crossover a row of upstanding posts and later return to its intendedposition.

For embodiments of reticulated mechanical fastening strips disclosedherein having partial-depth slits, the partial-depth slits may also bemade using raised ridges on the roll formed with the cavities having theinverse shape of the upstanding posts to be formed. Or the profiled dielip used in the profile extrusion method can be made to form depressionsin the backing. In these embodiments, the slits are formedsimultaneously with the upstanding posts during the molding or extrusionprocess.

In some embodiments of the methods of making a mechanical fasteningstrip according to the present disclosure, providing a slit backing maybe carried out by slitting through the backing in regions of thecontinuous web to provide interrupted slits while not slitting otherregions. Typically, cross-web regions of interrupted slits made in themachine direction alternating with unslit regions may be made. Theresulting continuous web may be rolled as a jumbo and stored untilfurther processing. Alternatively, cutting through the unslit regionswith a continuous cut (e.g., in the machine direction) can be carriedout to provide separate webs of a slit backing, which may be woundindividually (e.g., level wound) into rolls and stored for later use.

When the mechanical fastening strip according to and/or made accordingto the present disclosure is a mechanical fastening patch cut to adesired size, interrupted slits may also be made in the backing by hand,for example, using a razor blade.

For any of the methods of making a mechanical fastening strip accordingto the present disclosure, spreading the slit backing to providemultiple strands of the thermoplastic backing separated from each otherbetween at least some of the bridging regions to provide at least oneopening can be carried out in a variety of suitable ways. For example,spreading can be carried out on a continuous web using a flat filmtenter apparatus, diverging rails, diverging disks, or a series of bowedrollers. When spreading is desired in the machine direction of acontinuous web (e.g., with interrupted slits are made in the cross-webdirection), monoaxial spreading in the machine direction can beperformed by propelling the thermoplastic web over rolls of increasingspeed, with the downweb roll speed faster than the upweb roll speed.When the mechanical fastening strip according to and/or made accordingto the present disclosure is a mechanical fastening patch cut to adesired size, spreading the slit backing may also be carried out, forexample, by hand.

The slit backing can be considered to be planar, for example, if it ispatch cut to a desired size or a web in its unrolled configuration. Aresult of spreading the slit backing shown in FIG. 1A is shown in thephotograph of FIG. 1D. In the photograph of FIG. 1D, pieces of loopmaterial was attached to the edges of a slit backing such as that shownin FIG. 1A. When the pieces of loop material are pulled apart, theindividual strands of the backing along with their multiple posts tendto twist out of the plane of the backing as shown in FIG. 1D. The amountof out-of-plane twisting is affected, for example, by the extent towhich the slit backing is spread. Furthermore, when the pieces of loopmaterial are released, the multiple strands will typically return totheir original positions.

The openings can be maintained between the multiple strands of thebacking by joining the multiple strands to a carrier as described above.In other embodiments (e.g., embodiments with a significant extent ofspreading), the openings are maintained by annealing the mechanicalfastening strip. In some embodiments, annealing comprises heating themechanical fastening strip. In some embodiments, annealing comprisesheating and then cooling (e.g., rapidly cooling) the mechanicalfastening strip to maintain its configuration. In some embodiments,heating is only applied to the second surface of the thermoplasticbacking (i.e., the surface opposite the first surface from which theupstanding posts project) to minimize any damage to the caps on theupstanding posts that may result from heating.

Heating may be carried out on a continuous web, for example, usingheated rollers, IR irradiation, hot air treatment or by performing thespreading in a heat chamber. In embodiments where heated rollers areused, only rollers that are in contact with the second surface of thethermoplastic backing are heated. When the mechanical fastening stripaccording to and/or made according to the present disclosure is amechanical fastening patch cut to a desired size, heating the multiplestrands of the backing may conveniently be carried out on a hot plate,for example.

The out-of-plane twisting that can be observed when the slit backing isspread (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1D) can be controlled by maintaining orconstraining at least some of the multiple strands in a substantiallycoplanar arrangement. A substantially “coplanar” arrangement refers tothe strands occupying substantially the same plane. The term“substantially” in this regard can mean that at least some of themultiple strands can be twisted out of plane by up to 15, 10, or 5degrees. “At least some” of the multiple strands being constrainedrefers to at least 25, 50, 75, or 90 percent or more of the multiplestrands being constrained. In some embodiments, constraining at leastsome of the multiple strands is carried out while heating the multiplestrands.

Maintaining at least some of the multiple strands in a substantiallycoplanar arrangement can be carried out, for example, by limiting theextent to which the slit backing is spread. Providing the interruptedslits at an angle to the spreading direction (e.g., a 35 to 55 or 45degree angle) may maintain at least some of the multiple strands in asubstantially coplanar arrangement when the slit backing is spread.

Constraining at least some of the multiple strands in a substantiallycoplanar arrangement can be carried out, for example, in a narrow gapthat does not allow the strands to twist out of plane. In someembodiments, spreading the slit backing is carried out in a narrow gap.In some embodiments, annealing the multiple strands is carried outwithin a narrow gap. The narrow gap can be formed in a variety of ways.When the mechanical fastening strip according to and/or made accordingto the present disclosure is a mechanical fastening patch cut to adesired size, the narrow gap can be formed between a hot plate and acold plate. The second surface of the slit backing (i.e., the surfaceopposite the upstanding posts) can be placed on the hot plate, and acold plate can be held against the first surface of the thermoplasticbacking with light pressure to press the multiple strands into asubstantially coplanar arrangement. Typically, the slit backing can bespread incrementally, pressed between a hot plate and a cold plate, andallowed to cool to maintain the openings between the multiple strandsand to constrain the multiple strands in a substantially coplanararrangement. The process can be repeated until the desired amount ofspreading is reached.

Constraining a mechanical fastening strip in a continuous web processcan be carried out with a narrow gap between hot and cold surfaces usedin connection with the diverging disks or other spreading apparatusdescribed above. It is possible in a continuous web process toincrementally spread the slit backing, for example, with a series ofbowed rollers, and anneal by heating and cooling with alternating heatedand cooled rollers.

In some embodiments where the carrier is a fibrous web, the joiningcomprises impinging heated gaseous fluid (e.g., ambient air,dehumidified air, nitrogen, an inert gas, or other gas mixture) onto afirst surface of the fibrous web while it is moving; impinging heatedfluid onto the second surface of the backing while the continuous web ismoving, wherein the second surface is opposite the first surface of thebacking; and contacting the first surface of the fibrous web with thesecond surface of the backing so that the first surface of the fibrousweb is melt-bonded (e.g., surface-bonded or bonded with a loft-retainingbond) to the second surface of the backing. Impinging heated gaseousfluid onto the first surface of the fibrous web and impinging heatedgaseous fluid on the second surface of the backing may be carried outsequentially or simultaneously.

Melt-bonding (e.g., surface-bonding or loft-retaining bonding) usingheated gaseous fluid may be carried out, for example, by passing afibrous web and the continuous web comprising the backing and the hookelements through a nip formed by two backing rolls. The fibrous web andthe continuous web comprising the backing and the hook elementsgenerally are fed into the nip from two different directions and contacteach other in the nip. The backing rolls may be arranged so as tooperate the nip at very low pressure (e.g., less than about 15 poundsper linear inch (27 Newtons per linear cm), less than about 10 pli (18Nlc), or less than about 5 pli (9 Nlc)) in comparison to the pressuresnormally used in the lamination of materials (for which relatively highpressure is often preferred). In some embodiments, at least one of thebacking rolls may comprise at least a surface layer of a relatively softmaterial (e.g., a rubber material with a hardness of less than 70 on theShore A scale). Such a relatively soft surface layer may be achieved,for example, by the use of a roll with a permanently attached softsurface coating, by the use of a removable sleeve of soft material, orby covering the surface of the backing roll with relatively soft andresilient tape. If desired, the surface of one or both backing rolls maybe stepped across the face of the roll so as to provide laminationpressure selectively in certain locations. Heated gaseous fluid may beimpinged on the two webs, for example, using a nozzle that is placedclose to the nip. The nozzle may be configured to have a first fluiddelivery outlet and a second fluid delivery outlet that are in divergingrelation (e.g., the flow paths from the first and second deliveryoutlets differ by at least 25 degrees) to deliver heated gaseous fluidto the two different webs. The fluid may be heated by an external heaterbefore being delivered to the nozzle through a supply line. In additionor instead, heating elements may be supplied within the nozzle, oradditional heating (e.g., resistance heating or infrared heating) of thenozzle may be applied. In some embodiments, the impinged heated fluid islocally captured by way of at least one first fluid capture inlet thatis locally positioned with regard to the first fluid delivery outlet,and at least one second fluid capture inlet that is locally positionedwith regard to the second fluid delivery outlet. Joining the continuousweb to a fibrous web using this method may be advantageous, for example,for maintaining the shape of the hook elements and without damaging anyof the interrupted or partial slits or bridging regions when thecontinuous web and the carrier are joined together.

Surface-bonding or loft-retaining bonding may be advantageouslyperformed over a large area or areas (herein termed “area-bonding”) incontrast to the small-area bonding (often called point-bonding) that isoften achieved by ultrasonic bonding or other melt-bonding processes.The large number of surface-bonded fiber portions that may be randomlyand/or uniformly present over the bonded area in such area-bonding cancollectively provide adequate bond strength for laminate to be handledand to perform satisfactorily in various end uses. In some embodiments,area-bonds occupy at least about 100 square mm, at least about 400square mm, or at least 1000 square mm.

Further methods and apparatus for joining a continuous web to a fibrouscarrier web using heated gaseous fluid may be found in co-pending U.S.patent applications with Ser. Nos. 12/974,536 and 12/974,329, both filedDec. 21, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

SELECTED EMBODIMENTS OF THE DISCLOSURE

In a first embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method ofmaking a mechanical fastening strip, the method comprising:

providing a thermoplastic backing having multiple rows of upstandingposts on a first surface of the thermoplastic backing;

slitting through the thermoplastic backing to provide a slit backinghaving interrupted slits between at least some pairs of adjacent rows ofthe upstanding posts, wherein each interrupted slit is interrupted by atleast one intact bridging region of the slit backing;

spreading the slit backing to provide multiple strands of thethermoplastic backing attached to each other at least at some of thebridging regions and separated from each other between at least some ofthe bridging regions to provide at least one opening; and

fixing the multiple strands of the thermoplastic backing in a spreadconfiguration to maintain the at least one opening between the multiplestrands of the thermoplastic backing.

In a second embodiment, the present disclosure provides the method ofthe first embodiment, wherein fixing the multiple strands comprisesannealing.

In a third embodiment, the present disclosure provides the method of thefirst or second embodiment, further comprising maintaining at least someof the multiple strands in a substantially coplanar arrangement.

In a fourth embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method ofmaking a mechanical fastening strip, the method comprising:

providing a thermoplastic backing having upstanding posts on a firstsurface of the thermoplastic backing;

slitting through the thermoplastic backing to provide a slit backinghaving interrupted slits, wherein each interrupted slit is interruptedby at least one intact bridging region of the slit backing;

spreading the slit backing to provide multiple strands of thethermoplastic backing attached to each other at least at some of thebridging regions and separated from each other between at least some ofthe bridging regions to provide at least one opening; and

annealing the multiple strands of the thermoplastic backing in a spreadconfiguration to maintain the at least one opening between the multiplestrands of the thermoplastic backing.

In the fifth embodiments, the present disclosure provides the method ofthe second or fourth embodiment, wherein the annealing is carried outwhile constraining at least some of the multiple strands in asubstantially coplanar arrangement.

In a sixth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the method of anyone of the first to fifth embodiments, wherein the upstanding posts eachhave a base attached to the thermoplastic backing and a cap distal fromthe thermoplastic backing, wherein the cap has a larger area than across-sectional area of the base.

In a seventh embodiment, the present disclosure provides the method ofany one of the first to fifth embodiments, wherein the upstanding postseach have a base attached to the thermoplastic backing and a tip distalfrom the thermoplastic backing, the method further comprising deformingthe distal tip to form a cap.

In an eighth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the method ofany one of the first to seventh embodiments, wherein the multiple rowsof upstanding posts are aligned in a machine direction, and wherein theinterrupted slits extend in the machine direction.

In a ninth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the method of anyone of the first to eighth embodiments, wherein for any two adjacentinterrupted slits, the bridging regions are staggered in a directiontransverse to the interrupted slits.

In an tenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the method ofany one of the first to ninth embodiments, further comprising providinga transverse slit through at least some of the bridging regions byslitting in a direction transverse to the interrupted slits, such thatthe transverse slit connects one adjacent interrupted slit on one sideof the bridging region to another adjacent interrupted slit on theopposite side of the bridging region.

In an eleventh embodiment, the present disclosure provides the method ofany one of the first to tenth embodiments, wherein there is an equalnumber of rows of upstanding posts between the interrupted slits.

In a twelfth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the method ofany one of the first to eleventh embodiments, wherein the interruptedslits cut through the entire thickness of the thermoplastic backing.

In a thirteenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the methodof any one of the first to eleventh embodiments, wherein the interruptedslits are partial-depth slits that allow the thermoplastic backing toopen during the spreading.

In an fourteenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the methodof any one of the first to thirteenth embodiments, wherein there are atmost tens rows of upstanding posts between any two adjacent interruptedslits.

In a fifteenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the method ofany one of the first to fourteenth embodiments, wherein there are atleast two rows of upstanding posts between any two adjacent interruptedslits.

In a sixteenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the method ofany one of the first to fifteenth embodiments, further comprisingjoining the multiple strands to a carrier.

In a seventeenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the methodof any one of the first to fifteenth embodiments, wherein fixing themultiple strands of the thermoplastic backing in a spread configurationcomprises joining the multiple strands to a carrier.

In an eighteenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the methodof the sixteenth or seventeenth embodiment, further comprising applyingadhesive to at least one of the carrier, the thermoplastic backingbefore it is slit, or the multiple strands of the thermoplastic backing.

In a nineteenth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the methodof the sixteenth or seventeenth embodiment, wherein the carrier isfibrous, and the second surface of the backing is surface-bonded to thecarrier.

In a twentieth embodiment, the present disclosure provides the method ofany one of the first to thirteenth embodiments, wherein the multiplestrands are not joined to a carrier.

In a twenty-first embodiment, the present disclosure provides the methodof any one of the first to twentieth embodiments, wherein there areinterrupted slits cut through the backing between at least three pairsof adjacent rows of the upstanding posts, and the number of rows ofupstanding posts between at least some of the interrupted slits varies.

In a twenty-second embodiment, the present disclosure provides themethod of any one of the first to twenty-first embodiments, any bridgingregions of the backing for a given interrupted slit have a combinedlength in the direction of the interrupted slit of up to fifteen percentof the length of the backing in the direction of the interrupted slit.

In a twenty-third embodiment, the present disclosure provides areticulated mechanical fastening strip comprising:

multiple strands of a thermoplastic backing attached to each other atbridging regions in the thermoplastic backing and separated from eachother between the bridging regions to provide openings in thereticulated mechanical fastening strip, each of the multiple strandshaving a longitudinal dimension, a width dimension, and a thickness; and

a plurality of upstanding posts on each of the multiple strands, theupstanding posts having bases attached to the thermoplastic backing andcaps distal from the thermoplastic backing, wherein the width dimensionof each of the multiple strands is wider than at least the bases of theupstanding posts.

In a twenty-fourth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thereticulated mechanical fastening strip of the twenty-third embodiment,wherein the plurality of upstanding posts on a first strand are arrangedin a series that is non-parallel to a series of upstanding posts on asecond, adjacent strand.

In a twenty-fifth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thereticulated mechanical fastening strip of the twenty-fourth embodiment,wherein both the series of upstanding posts and the multiple strandsundulate along the length of the reticulated mechanical fastening strip.

In a twenty-sixth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thereticulated mechanical fastening strip of any one of the twenty-third totwenty-fifth embodiments, wherein the caps are oriented in differentdirections along the multiple strands in the longitudinal direction.

In a twenty-seventh embodiment, the present disclosure provides thereticulated mechanical fastening strip of any one of the twenty-third totwenty-sixth embodiments, wherein the caps on a first strand areoriented in a different direction than the caps on a second, adjacentstrand.

In a twenty-eighth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thereticulated mechanical fastening strip of any one of the twenty-third totwenty-seventh embodiments, there are at most ten upstanding postsacross the width dimension of the multiple strands.

In a twenty-ninth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thereticulated mechanical fastening strip of any one of the twenty-third totwenty-eighth embodiments, there are at least two upstanding postsacross the width dimension of the multiple strands.

In a thirtieth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thereticulated mechanical fastening strip of any one of the twenty-third totwenty-ninth embodiments, wherein the caps have loop-engaging overhangsextending beyond the upstanding posts at a non-zero angle to alongitudinal direction of the multiple strands.

In a thirty-first embodiment, the present disclosure provides thereticulated mechanical fastening strip of any one of the twenty-third tothirtieth embodiments, wherein at least a portion of the multiplestrands exhibit stretch-induced molecular orientation in at least onedirection (in some embodiments, the longitudinal direction).

In a thirty-second embodiment, the present disclosure provides thereticulated mechanical fastening strip of any one of the twenty-third tothirtieth embodiments, the multiple strands do not exhibit macroscopicstretch-induced molecular orientation in any direction.

In a thirty-third embodiment, the present disclosure provides afastening laminate comprising a carrier and the reticulated mechanicalfastening strip of any one of the twenty-third to thirtieth embodimentsjoined to the carrier.

In a thirty-fourth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastening laminate of the thirty-third embodiment, further comprisingadhesive between at least a portion of the reticulated mechanicalfastening strip and at least a portion of the carrier. In some of theseembodiments, the adhesive is exposed between the multiple strands of thethermoplastic backing.

In a thirty-fifth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastening laminate of the thirty-third or thirty-fourth embodiment,wherein the reticulated mechanical fastening strip and the carrier havedifferent colors.

In a thirty-sixth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastening laminate of any one of the thirty-third to thirty-fifthembodiments, wherein at least the portion of carrier to the reticulatedmechanical fastening strip is joined has up to a ten percent elongationin a second direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

In a thirty-seventh embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastening laminate of any one of the thirty-third to thirty-sixthembodiments, wherein the fastening laminate has a proximal end (e.g.,for permanent attachment to an absorbent article) and a distal end(e.g., for the user to grasp), and the width of the multiple strandsincreases from the distal end to the proximal end.

In a thirty-eighth embodiment, the present disclosure provides thefastening laminate of any one of the thirty-third to thirty-seventhembodiments, wherein the carrier is fibrous, and the multiple strandsare surface-bonded to the carrier.

In thirty-ninth embodiment, the present disclosure provides an absorbentarticle having at least a front waist region, a rear waist region, and alongitudinal center line bisecting the front waist region and the rearwaist region, wherein at least one of the front waist region or the rearwaist region comprises a fastening laminate according to any one of thethirty-third to thirty-eighth embodiments.

In fortieth embodiment, the present disclosure provides a sanitarynapkin comprising a fastening laminate according to any one of thethirty-third to thirty-eighth embodiments.

This disclosure may take on various modifications and alterationswithout departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, thisdisclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments but is tobe controlled by the limitations set forth in the following claims andany equivalents thereof. This disclosure may be suitably practiced inthe absence of any element not specifically disclosed herein. Allpatents and patent applications cited above are hereby incorporated byreference into this document in their entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. A reticulated mechanical fastening strip having alongitudinal direction and a width direction, the reticulated mechanicalfastening strip comprising: multiple strands of a thermoplastic backingattached to each other at bridging regions in the thermoplastic backingand separated from each other between the bridging regions to provideopenings in the reticulated mechanical fastening strip, each of themultiple strands having a longitudinal dimension, which is the longestdimension of each of the multiple strands, a width dimension, and athickness; and a plurality of upstanding posts on each of the multiplestrands, the upstanding posts having bases attached to the thermoplasticbacking and having caps distal from the thermoplastic backing, whereinthe width dimension of each of the multiple strands is wider than atleast the bases of the upstanding posts, wherein the plurality ofupstanding posts on a first strand are arranged in a series that isnon-parallel to a series of upstanding posts on a second, adjacentstrand, and wherein both the plurality of upstanding posts and themultiple strands undulate along the longitudinal direction of thereticulated mechanical fastening strip.
 2. The reticulated mechanicalfastening strip of claim 1, wherein the overhangs distal from thethermoplastic backing are comprised in caps, and wherein the caps areoriented in different directions along the multiple strands in thelongitudinal direction.
 3. The reticulated mechanical fastening strip ofclaim 1, wherein the overhangs distal from the thermoplastic backing arecomprised in caps, and wherein the caps of the upstanding posts in theseries on the first strand are oriented in a first set of directionsrelative to the longitudinal direction, which is different from a secondset of directions in which the caps of the upstanding posts in theseries on the second, adjacent strand are oriented relative to thelongitudinal direction.
 4. A fastening laminate comprising a carrier,the reticulated mechanical fastening strip of claim 1 joined to thecarrier.
 5. The reticulated mechanical fastening strip of claim 1,wherein there are upstanding posts on only one surface of thereticulated mechanical fastening strip.
 6. The reticulated mechanicalfastening strip of claim 1, wherein there are at least two upstandingposts across the width dimension of at least some of the multiplestrands on one surface of the reticulated mechanical fastening strip. 7.The reticulated mechanical fastening strip of claim 1, wherein theoverhangs distal from the thermoplastic backing are comprised in caps,and wherein each cap has a larger area than a cross-sectional area ofthe base.
 8. The reticulated mechanical fastening strip of claim 1,wherein at least a portion of the overhangs extend beyond the upstandingposts at a non-zero angle to a direction parallel to the longitudinaldimension of the multiple strands.
 9. The reticulated mechanicalfastening strip of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the multiplestrands exhibit stretch-induced molecular orientation in at least onedirection.
 10. The reticulated mechanical fastening strip of claim 1,wherein the multiple strands do not exhibit macroscopic stretch-inducedmolecular orientation in any direction.
 11. The reticulated mechanicalfastening strip of claim 1, wherein each of the upstanding posts is inthe shape of mushroom, nail, palm tree, a T, or a J.
 12. The fasteninglaminate of claim 4, further comprising adhesive between at least aportion of the reticulated mechanical fastening strip and at least aportion of the carrier.
 13. The fastening laminate of claim 12, whereinthe adhesive is exposed between at least some of the multiple strands ofthe thermoplastic backing.
 14. The fastening laminate of claim 4,wherein the reticulated mechanical fastening strip and the carrier havedifferent colors.
 15. The fastening laminate of claim 4, wherein thefastening laminate has a proximal end and a distal end, and wherein thewidth of the multiple strands increases from the distal end to theproximal end.
 16. The fastening laminate of claim 4, wherein the carriercomprises fibers, and wherein the multiple strands and at least aportion of the fibers of the carrier are surface-bonded.
 17. Anabsorbent article having at least a front waist region, a rear waistregion, and a longitudinal center line bisecting the front waist regionand the rear waist region, wherein at least one of the front waistregion or the rear waist region comprises the fastening laminate ofclaim
 4. 18. A sanitary napkin comprising the fastening laminate ofclaim
 4. 19. The reticulated mechanical fastening strip of claim 1,further comprising multiple strands that are not separated from eachother between the bridging regions.